This application relates generally to the field of urinals having a spreader used to disperse water into the basin of the urinal during a flushing cycle. More particularly, this application relates to an improved spreader assembly for a urinal which is configured to direct water to specific areas of a particular urinal.
There are generally two types of urinals: those that use water to flush the fixture after each use, and waterless urinals which do not use water to flush the fixture. Urinals that use water as part of a flushing cycle typically include a flush valve mounted above a basin (e.g., a bowl, plumbing enclosure, plumbing fixture, etc.). Flush valves are typically used with urinals to control how much water is delivered to the urinal during a flush cycle. An inlet of the flush valve may be fluidly connected to a municipal water supply, and an outlet of the flush valve may be fluidly coupled to a urinal spreader. Urinal spreaders are generally mounted within a hole near the top of the fixture, so that flush water may flow down over the surface of the fixture and wash urine toward a drain. Generally, these spreaders include a slot, and water enters the fixture through the slot during a flush cycle. These spreader configurations that include such slots have several disadvantages, only some of which are disclosed herein.
First, the slots of these urinal spreaders may direct water in a general direction towards the basin of a urinal. However, these slots generally do not direct a particular amount of water to a particular location. This is disadvantageous for at least two reasons: the basin may not be thoroughly washed by the spreader, and the configuration of these urinal spreaders may necessitate the use of more flush water than is actually needed to wash the basin of a urinal.
Second, urinal spreaders are generally manufactured (e.g., cast, molded, etc.) from expensive materials (e.g., brass and other metals) as an integral (e.g., single, uniform, etc.) part. However, urinals come in many shapes and sizes. The surfaces of basins of various urinals may have different widths, heights, contours, slopes, etc. In view of the wide selection of urinals in the marketplace, a typical urinal spreader that is manufactured as a single piece may not necessarily be able to direct a useful amount of water to the basin of a particular urinal.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a urinal spreader assembly that is configured to direct an adequate amount of water to particular areas of a particular urinal. It would also be advantageous to provide a urinal spreader assembly that includes a feature, such as a sprayer mat, which is interchangeable within the spreader assembly and can be configured for the basin of a particular urinal.